Saline infusion
| Health risk | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Legal risk | Moderate |
Saline infusion, also known as saline injection, is the injection of saline into the body. In a kink context, this is usually the genitalia.
Background
Appeal
Unlike silicone injection, the effects are temporary (lasting only a few days), and there is a significantly reduced risk of serious complications, especially if proper sterile technique is used.
Methods
Risks
There is a risk of infection, especially if sterile saline is not used. Sharing equipment can lead to the spread of blood-borne pathogens like HIV and hepatitis C.
It is common practice to use a cock ring of some sort while doing the infusion to ensure that the saline stays in the balls and penis rather than just flowing out into the rest of the body. Metal cock rings should never be used for this, as with the swelling from the saline you will be unable to remove them and may need to go to a hospital to have them removed.
Risk mitigation
Do not reuse needles, saline, or any other equipment.; use of proper sterile technique significantly reduces the risk of infection.
Use a cock ring that can be easily removed by undoing snaps or some other mechanism; do not use cock rings that are rigid.
Known incidents
Known incident where a metal cock ring was used for saline play and the person had to seek emergency medical care to have it removed.